Mother’s Day 2022 special: Mental health tips for new moms and maternal figures in general, to keep their mind calm

Our mothers are a walking miracle as they understand us even when we do not speak but this Mother’s Day 2022 is a good time to let them put down the burden of societal expectations, slow down, take a breath and prioritise their own emotional and mental health even though they barely have the time to look after their physical health properly. In a society where motherhood and sacrifice are often seen as synonyms, more often than not, moms are not taking care of themselves and according to a survey, moms put their health and wellbeing at the end of the list because they juggle many roles such as caregiver, partner, homemaker, employee, daughter-in-law and multiple others. 

Each of these roles is governed by attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives and most of them have a set of many unrealistic expectations and demands, which often prove to be highly taxing on one’s physical and mental health. According to health experts, postpartum depression is fairly common in India as it affects approximately 20-25% of first time mothers in our country where women go through life-changing physical, mental and emotional experiences at the time of childbirth. 

With mental health care at a breaking point, many new mothers feel increasingly isolated and left to fend for themselves hence, postpartum depression can either occur for the first time in pregnancy, for the first time post delivery or it could be preceded by a problem recognised or unrecognised before the woman is pregnant. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Wellness Coach Veena Majitya, shared, “Stress and pressure are a normal part of modern life. We often face a situation that we go through in person as well as in professional life. In situations like these, it’s helpful to know or learn how to calm yourself down.”

She advised, “One should always start by taking a deep breath. Taking a deep breath helps you to focus and release stress and make you relax much faster than anything else. If you’re under pressure at work just take 5 minutes of walking. Look around get fresh air it will help you think better and help to come up with different options. The most important and proven technique is to meditate. Meditation is not just crossing your leg and closing your eyes. It requires you to sit quietly and concentrate on your breathing and it will benefit you to manage your emotions well, relax, release stress and keep your mind calm.”

Bringing her expertise to the same and suggesting mental health tips for moms and maternal figures to keep their mind calm, Sheetal Shaparia, Life Coach, Astrologer and Tasseographe, revealed, “If you want to keep your mind calm, you first need to keep your body stable. Our mind and body are interconnected so if your body is healthy, your mind eventually gets calm. A few activities that you can consider to do is regular exercise, eating on time, having balanced meals and getting sound sleep. Watch out for thinking traps, they are easy to make us fall into a negative spiral.”

She added, “Over- thinking things will never lead us in the right direction. You should latch onto those things that reinstate positivity among us. Slow down and relax, give yourself time, meet or connect with friends and family and laugh out. We often hear people saying ‘I woke up on the wrong side of the bed’. The best trick is to sleep with positive thoughts and wake up with fresh thoughts. Affirmations are a great way to instil motivational thoughts in your head. Start with positive affirmations at the beginning of the day so that you feel good inside out for the rest of the day.”

According to Mylo’s Mother’s Day survey done with 2000 expecting and new moms, it was revealed that 76% mothers say that the juggling act every day is the root cause of stress, for 50% of moms – aiming for happy and not perfect is their panacea for calm, talking to someone they trust helps 52% of moms destress, moms turn to their own moms as their most sought after ‘vent buddy’ and nearly 50% of moms agree that maternal mental health is an ignored issue owing to a lack of understanding.

Richa Vashista, Chief Mental Health Expert at AtEase, explained, “Being a new mom can be a thrilling experience but simultaneously it can trigger a complex mix of emotions like anxiety and fear. It is crucial to understand and cope with Post Partum Depression (PPD) as it may have harmful effects on the family and the woman’s confidence in her ability to be a good mom. While a new mom tries to provide the best care for her child, family and herself, she needs to find some ways to take care of her own health as well.”

She recommended, “Exercising and maintaining a healthy diet during the postpartum period is one way to improve psychological well-being as well as ease the symptoms of postpartum depression. Bonding with the newborn benefits both the mother and the child as close contact with the infant releases oxytocin, which makes a mother feel happier. New mothers must not forget to take care of themselves while they focus on the little one. Practicing self-care, spending quality time with family & friends, making time to rest to cope with lost sleep and engaging in hobbies are an important part of postpartum care and recovery.”